


Popcorn #1 - [Saeran]

by FeelingFingers



Category: Mystic Messenger
Genre: AU, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, I am terrible at titles, Kinda, Maybe some kissing., Saeran is tsundere, Unrequited longing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-04
Updated: 2017-05-22
Packaged: 2018-10-27 22:45:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10818315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeelingFingers/pseuds/FeelingFingers
Summary: A domestic drabble where MC is not in a relationship with anyone, but in an AU after Seven's ending. Saeran has been acquired. Healing has started. Mostly I need more Saeran in my life.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Again, I'm super rusty. Please forgive my tense slippage and grammar mistakes. I'm using these drabbles as a spring board to get back into the swing of writing with hopes to do some longer pieces once I feel confident. Feedback is welcome.

The movie was terrible. Then again, they hadn’t picked it because they hoped it was good. Or even because it was recommended. They had been browsing through a thrift store when Saeyoung stumbled upon an out of the way clapboard bookcase that was stacked high with dusty VHS and DVD cases.

“Oh, geeze.” MC laughed as she pulled what looked like some sort of employee instructional video from the pile. “These should be donated to a museum. Does anyone even still have a VCR?”

“I dooo~!” Saeyoung chirped, flashing her a lopsided grin. MC blinked. Brows knitting together she slowly turned to look at the beaming tomato next to her. He waggled his eyebrows at her.

“Of course you do.” Shaking her head, MC replaced the tape back into the pile. 

“So. What movie are we watching?”

In the end the decision was made by cover art. The duo couldn’t pass up a group of old horror movies that had pulp novel-like cover art.

“This is AH-MAZING!” MC grinned as she thrust a box towards Saeran, who scanned the dust jacket before looking at her skeptically.

“Do you even know what ‘amazing’ means?”

But MC liked this kind of horror. All the villains were laughable and the monsters had zippers. Terrible plots and all. It seemed more manageable than the believable sort. She didn’t think either she or Saeran could stomach the latter. As it was, Saeran seemed pretty nonplussed about their idea for an activity. Sure, he didn’t outwardly protest much. But when did he ever? Some days it felt like she was throwing bottled messages into the ocean, hoping that the current might take her feelings to him.

“What.”

Sensing her gaze on him, Saeran turned from the glass display to peer at MC with narrowed eyes. His wary expression made her heart constrict. She forced a smile anyway. Warm. Welcoming. Real. She hoped, at least. Those were the feelings that floated around her heart when she watched him reconnect with the world around him. When she got to share little moments of normalcy with the twins. How could she put that into words?

“Just thinking.” MC’s shoulders bobbed once in a shrug. He held her gaze for a moment, the right side of his mouth quirking downward as he searched her face for something before giving his head a slight shake and turning to face his brother who was just ahead of him at the register, paying for their purchases.

“OPERATION MOVIE NIGHT IS A GOOOOO!”

Saeyoung pumped his fists in the air triumphantly to add emphasis to each word before spinning and marching towards the entrance of the thrift store, bag clutched tightly to his chest and right arm extended in front of him with index finger pointed forward. He didn’t wait for his companions; trusting that the would be short on his heels. MC attempted to quietly maintain the giggles that threaten to erupt from her as she watched Saeyoung disappear out the glass doors. Meanwhile, Saeran ducked his head down and did his best to ignore the confused stares of other shoppers while he beat a quick path after his brother.

 

 

Flickering blue light from the flatscreen TV filled the otherwise darkened living room. Despite the open floor plan and minimalist nature, the bunker was creepy in the dark. This was, perhaps, because it wasn’t too far off from some of the outlandish labs pictured in the terrible B movies they were watching. It made the perfect place to watch scary movies.

Seated in the center of the couch with her legs curled beneath her, MC held an old afgan in front of her like a shield. She peeked over and through the granny squares, her eyes wide. Saeran was an arms-length away at the other end of the couch, chin cradled in his hand as he leaned against the furniture arm. His expression was bored and annoyed in turns. Difficult to tell if it was because of the incomprehensible/nonexistent plot of the movie or the constant banter back and forth between his brother and MC. Saeyoung plopped himself on the floor in front of MC with a throw pillow and was currently using the couch as a back rest. An assortment of half-eaten snacks were strewn around them. They were currently midway through the second of what was the turning into a movie marathon.

“Don’t go out there! You’re gonna get got!” Reaching down, MC nabbed the pillow that Saeyoung was propped against and buried her face in it as the heroine ignored her expert advice.

“Hey!” Saeyoung objected as the sudden theft sent him sideways onto the floor.

“Are you seriously afraid of that monster?”

Peeking out from behind the pillow, MC looked at Saeran. In the half-light provided by the TV his expression looked dubious at best. A single eyebrow was arched questioningly at her. For a moment, his steady gaze caused her to forget about the movie that played in front of them.

“Ah.” Breaking eye contact momentarily she looked down at her lap before returning her attention to Saeran. A playful smirk tugged at her lips. “You don’t think the cinematography is masterful?”

“That werewolf mask looks like it came from a party store.”

Rolling her eyes, MC used the pillow she stole from Saeyoung to whack Saeran in the chest.

“Watch it!” Catching the offending pillow, Saeran gave it a quick tug forward that brought MC tumbling forward with it. A surprise squeak sounded from the woman as she found herself in his lap and then repeated when he wrenched the pillow out of her grasp and lobbed it back at her, bouncing it off her head. She giggled, raising up her arms too late to shield herself. Saeran was reaching for another pillow when a shower of popcorn rained down on them. They froze.

“Guys!”

Two pairs of eyes slid over to where Saeyoung was now kneeling with a cartoon-like glower, empty popcorn bowl gripped in one hand. “I’m trying to watch this wolfman eat people. Do you mind!?” It was like cold water and not popcorn had splashed all over MC. She could feel fire burning in her face as the realization that she was now draped across Saeran’s lap hit her. What was she doing? She flailed her way out of the younger Choi’s lap and to the other end of the couch. She was thankful for the darkness and how it would hide at least a bit of her flaming face.

Saeran snorted, crossing his arms over his chest. A sour expression marred his features, but he made no move to leave. MC picked up a few stray kernels of popcorn that littered the couch and tossed them back towards Saeyoung.

“Sorry.”

She couldn’t help but notice that Saeyoung didn’t look particularly annoyed. His melodramatic glower soon lapsed into a toothy grin as he flopped once more against the couch, his eyes trained on the movie. MC’s own sheepish smile warmed as she savored this quiet moment. How mundane. 

Quiet. 

Domestic. 

Perfect. 

Her gaze traveled from the twin seated at her feet to the one just to her right. His grumpy expression was the other side of the coin to Saeyoung’s goofy grin. Next time maybe she could convince him to pick the movie. Perhaps feeling himself under scrutiny, Saeran’s gaze slipped back to MC. His brow furrowed as he matched her stare.

“What are you looking at?” He slumped back further into the couch, breaking his gaze from her at last. MC felt her heart constrict as she watched him sulk. When she didn’t answer him immediately he glanced her way once more to find that she was still peering at him contemplatively. 

“Watch your damn movie.” He grumped, pushing further back into the couch cushions.

“Language~ ! “Saeyoung interjected from the floor.


	2. Chapter 2

“What do I even do with these?” 

MC stood at the kitchen counter frowning at the pile of half-eaten bags of Honey Buddah Chips that littered the surface. So far she had counted twelve. Well. Staring at them wasn’t going to clean up the mess any, she chided herself silently. And if she knew Saeyoung at all he would just leave these until the next time she came over…or until Saeran got fed up with his brother’s slovenly ways and picked them up himself. Lifting a few up to determine which was the lightest, she contemplated pouring them into one or two bags.  


“Just throw them away. He’s going to open a new bag when he’s hungry anyway.” 

The suddenness of the voice by her ear caused her to jump. The half-full bags fell from her hands and scattered across the linoleum, spilling what was left of their contents along the way.  


“Jesus, Saeran!” MC whirled to look at the twin, a hand on her chest as if to catch her heart from rocketing out of her chest. “You can’t just sneak up on me like that.”  


“I wasn’t sneaking.” Saeran broke his gaze then, looking off to the side as a faint dusting of pink colored his expression. He shoved his hands into his pockets and turned his body away from her, leaning back against the fridge. Seeing him flush drew warmth to MC’s cheeks as well. She hadn’t meant to be harsh with him.  


“Sorry.” Tearing her gaze away from him she peered down at the yellow chips that were scattered around her feet. Exhaling a soft breath she willed a warm smile to her lips despite the embarrassment that thrummed threw her. “You just caught me by surprise.”  


“You’re not keyed up from that movie, are you?”  


MC caught the sidelong glance he threw at her; the way the corner of his mouth ticked upwards in a smirk belaying the monotone of his voice. That smirk did things to her. Feeling her face burn even more she pretended to ignore the look and knelt down to pick up the chips before they were ground into dust. Or before Saeyoung came in to moan about losing some of his precious chips.  


“Oh, please. We both know that you’re going to be the one sleeping with the light on tonight.” She teased back, not quite able to look up yet at him. Instead, she focused on scooping up the scattered chips on the floor and shoveling them back into the now-empty bag. Saeran huffed as he knelt next to her and began to help her. A silence settled over the pair as they worked together to clean up the kitchen. Without looking she could sense exactly where he was. Her mind swirled as she fought with her feelings. She wondered how awkward she was making their friendship. It wasn’t fair for her to feel these things towards him when he was just working at recovering. But she couldn’t help the swirl of tension that ran through her stomach whenever he was close.  


A sudden warmth on her hand pulled her from her thoughts. Saeran’s fingers curled tentatively around hers, intercepting MC as she reached for the final chip. 

“Hey.”  


Eyes widening, MC’s attention snapped to her friend’s face. Saeran was peering at her with the same careful, inscrutable gaze. Save for the faint blush that dusted his pale cheeks and colored the tops of his ears. Narrowed mint eyes observed her with a gentleness that undermined the mask of neutrality he normally sheltered behind. The look made her stomach twist.  


“What?” _Oh, God— I’m so awkward._ The thought thrilled through her, threatening to pull her away from the moment and send her spiraling into an anxiety echo chamber. Saeran’s hand shifted. His fingers slipped upward to gain further purchase on her hand, his thumb rubbing gentle circles along her palm. The unexpected sensation reeled her back into the moment. Heat creeped up into her cheeks as her gaze dropped down to their clasped hands.  


“Where did you go?”  


“Go?” Panic. Were her feelings that apparent? “I’m right here. I— It’s just late. Tiredness is catching up to me, that’s it.” 

She attempted a smile, hoping it would lend some credence to her words. Saeran arched an eyebrow at her, his mouth quirking to one side. But he didn’t press the issue. Instead he rose to his feet and tugged her along with him.  


“It is getting late. C’mon. I’ll take you home.”  


This offer caught her by surprise. Normally it was Saeyoung who offered to chauffeur her around. Certainly Saeran was with him more often than not, but this was the first time he had offered to take her by himself. The prospect filled her with equal parts excitement and dread. She needed to get herself together. Her friend was offering to drive her home. Was that really a big deal? The butterflies in her stomach seemed to think so. 

——

When MC and Saeran emerged from the kitchen they found Saeyoung sprawled across the couch with one leg kicked over the back. He was idly scrolling through something on his phone.  


“How are you even comfortable like that?” Saeran walked towards the couch and roughly pushed his brother’s leg off the back.  


“Hey!” Saeyoung protested. “I was just keeping it warm until you got back.” Pocketing his phone he popped up with a broad grin. “What should we watch next?”  


“Gross.” Saeran rolled his eyes. Shoving his hands in his pockets he shook his head at his brother. “It’s late. I’m taking MC home.”  


“Ohhohoho~ Are you?”  


MC shifted uncomfortably under Saeyoung’s teasing gaze. She knew that spark of mischief that was currently lighting up her friend’s eyes and nothing good ever came of it. Funny, perhaps, but not ‘good’.  


“Shut it. Let us borrow a car.”  


From the especially salty expression that Saeran was wearing it seemed that his brother’s mood wasn’t lost on him. Saeyoung cackled in the face of Saeran’s death glare.  


“Aww~~But it is past my babies’ bedtime! You can’t disturb their beauty sleep! Let’s have a slumber party instead.” There was a slight pause where Saeyoung’s golden eyes narrowed and peered thoughtfully at MC. A cheshire cat-like grin blossoming on his lips. “It’ll be fun! MC, I’ve got some shirts you can—“ Saeyoung was interrupted by his brother’s hand being thrust in front of his face, palm upward.  


“Give me a key or I’m going to hot wire the one I want. Your choice.” The serious note in Saeran’s voice was enough to douse Seven’s good mood.  


“WAH! OK OK! FINE!” It just took a moment before he fished a keyring out of his pocket, all the while grousing about his babies being threatened. “Geeze. You can’t take take a joke, baby brother.”  


Turning abruptly, Saeran didn’t waste time heading towards the garage. MC scurried after him. Behind them Saeyoung yelled a parting shot from the couch. 

“I still think a slumber part would've been more fun!”

——

The car ride passed in relative silence. The soft drone of some station that Saeyoung had left the radio on filled the air between the two, pushing back at the silence. MC leaned back into the passenger seat peering out at the city as they wound their way through the rainy streets. Water pooled and raced on the windows in turns as they sailed along the relatively empty roads. It caught the light; shimmering as droplets sped across the glass. 

When they reached MC’s building Saeran insisted on following her up to her door to make sure she arrived safely. She only made half-hearted attempts to discourage him from it. Really, she was thankful for the extra time she was getting with Saeran, however short. It wasn’t often that just the two of them got to spend time together. Usually they had Saeyoung there to act as a bridge. Or a safety net. Someone to relieve these little moments of tension.  


“Thanks for coming all this way.” MC smiled warmly up at Saeran. She fumbled through her bag for a moment before she managed to unearth her keys. She slipped them into the dead bolt of her door. “Next time we can watch whatever you want, okay? I know that these B movies aren’t really your thing.”  


“MC.”  


“Hmm?” 

The door to her apartment opened with a click as Saeran’s quiet voice sounded her name. She turned to look at her friend only to realize that he was much closer than she expected. And soon he was closer still as he bridged the gap between them; brushing his lips lightly against hers in a feather light kiss. His fingers once again sought out hers, lightly squeezing her fingertips before slipping away. A small, satisfied smile played across his lips as MC stared at him agape. _Did that just happen?!_  


“We can watch whatever you want.” Shoving his hands into his pockets he took a step backwards, playing at nonchalance. “Get some sleep. And don’t forget to lock up.” 

With that Saeran pivoted on his heel and casually made his way towards the exit. MC stood still, reeling from the rush of emotions that leapt and swirled within her in response to the kiss. 

Shock. 

Joy. 

Embarrassment. 

And now he was just _walking away_? 

...Irritation. 

“Saeran!” 

She yelled his name much louder than’s polite past 3am in an apartment building. But the last thing she was thinking of was her neighbors. MC was rewarded by Saeran stopping in his tracks. Surprised by the sudden outcry, Saeran paused and half turned to look back at MC— who was now racing towards him with furrowed brow and a determined expression. A look of uncertainty crossed his face and he opened his mouth to say something, but before he could get any words out MC flung herself at him and crashed her lips into his. The sudden force sent them both stumbling back into the wall. The shock gave way quickly, however, and he soon was returning the kiss with fervor.  


It was MC who broke it this time.  


“You don’t get to kiss me and just walk away.” It was hard to maintain any kind of serious expression when he was looking at her with such fondness. Somehow, she managed to persevere.  


“No?”  


“No.”  


“Well.” Saeran leaned forward, his forehead resting against hers. That same satisfied smirk began to twitch at the corners of his lips as he peered at MC with half-lidded eyes. “I thought you were tired.”  


It was enough to cause her whole face to flush. She must have been as red as his hair. Untangling herself from him she stepped away, immediately missing the warmth of his body, but the insecurities that pulled at her outweighed the desire to cling to him. _What was that?_ “You’re terrible.” She laughed in spite of herself. When she glanced back up at Saeran he was smiling softly at her. His normally icy mint eyes were filled with such warmth.  


“Get some rest.” Reaching his hand out, Saeran tucked a stray lock of hair back behind MC’s ear, his fingertips lingering along her jawline. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”  


MC’s heart swelled as she watched him back down the hallway a few paces before turning and continuing to the exit. In his absence the hallway felt vast. She stared at the the empty hall, reliving the last precious moments with him.  


“What was that?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I'm slowly remembering how to write again. I wish that words came easier to me. Maybe in time...

**Author's Note:**

> In case you're curious, they're watching The Atomic Brain. In some places it is also called The Monstrosity. Definitely not worth your time. It's terrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrible.


End file.
